Vancouver City Council

MOTION ON NOTICE

1. Home-Based Businesses

Submitted by Councillor Ladner for Regular Council Meeting of March 9, 2004

MOVER: Councillor Ladner
SECONDER: Councillor

WHEREAS, home-based businesses are an essential building block of a healthy economy in the City of Vancouver;

AND WHEREAS, a Canadian Federation of Independent Business survey found that 42 per cent of business owners have a present or past association with a home-based enterprise;

AND WHEREAS, home-based businesses reduce demand on the region's transportation infrastructure, reduce traffic congestion and allow people with at-home responsibilities to pursue self-employment;

AND WHEREAS, technology has opened up new opportunities for home-based businesses in recent years, some of which are prohibited under our bylaw, such as online sales of goods;

AND WHEREAS, the city's current restrictions on home-based businesses in residential areas make many existing home-based businesses illegal even though they have no negative impacts on their neighbours;

AND WHEREAS, other municipalities in the Lower Mainland have recently liberalized their home business bylaws with no negative impacts on neighbourhoods, thereby strengthening their local economies;

AND WHEREAS, entrepreneurs applying for a home-based business licence in the City of Vancouver are faced with conflicting information from the city's bylaws, website and the business licence application form;

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT, Vancouver City Council encourages the establishment of home-based businesses that do not negatively affect neighbourhoods, and asks city staff to report back with changes to the city's home-based business bylaw to:
· minimize restrictions and liberalize conditions to encourage residents to operate home-based businesses that have no negative impacts on their neighbourhoods
· spell out all restrictions and conditions relating to home-based business in the bylaw.

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